Midpoint Formulas
Ever wonder how to find the exact middle point between two locations? That's where midpoint formulas come in handy! These formulas work differently depending on whether you're working with a number line or a coordinate plane.
On a number line, finding the midpoint is simple. Just take the average of the two endpoint coordinates: Midpoint = a+b/2. For example, to find the midpoint between -4 and 9, calculate (-4+9)/2 = 5/2 = 2.5.
In the coordinate plane, you need to find the average of both x-coordinates and y-coordinates separately. If you have points A(x₁, y₁) and B(x₂, y₂), the midpoint formula is M(x1+x2)/2,(y1+y2)/2. For points like R(5, -10) and S(3, 6), the midpoint would be (4, -2).
💡 Think of the midpoint formula as finding the "average position" between two points. This works because the midpoint is exactly halfway between the endpoints in both horizontal and vertical directions.